Support for use in strapping loads of multiple parts



Nov. 19, 1968 R. L. SYLVESTER A 3,411,434

SUPPORT FOR USE IN STRAPPING. LOADS OF MULTIPLE PARTS 2 sheets sheet 1 Filed June- 12, 1967 INVENTORS ROWLAND L. SYL VESTER Nov. 19, 1968 R. L. SYLVESTER ET AL SUPPORT FOR USE IN STRAPPING LOADS OF MULTIPLE PARTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 12, 1967 /0 II II llll 'Fl ll I I Illl Lllll I III! INVENTORS ROWL AND L. syu gsrm BY 4* ACK MORROW ATTORNEY United States Patent ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A support for use with like supports in strapping together multiple parts assembled on the supports, said supports carrying skids to be strapped to the parts to produce a package unit. The support is a rigid channel for supporting passage parts and freely receiving a skid and having a longitudinal strap-receiving groove in its base. Opposite cut-outs in channel side walls also freely receive a skid and have bottom strap-receiving notches.

This invention relates to a support for use in strapping loads of multiple parts, and more particularly for strapping stacked items in unit loads upon skids or runners held in place by the strapping.

Unit loads, and particularly loads of stacked sheets of steel and other metal, are strapped together lengthwise of supporting skids or runners which are provided for convenience in supporting the stack, and for handling and transporting the unit loads, as by grab devices suspended from a crane or other overhead support or by fork-lift trucks. l

The operation of strapping a unit load has commonly entailed assembly or stacking of the individual parts, sheets or plates, followed by rehandling thereof at a second location at which the final operation of strapping the skids or runners and the parts assembled thereon is performed. Such progressive procedures are costly in labor and time, but have been necessary heretofore in order to establish the proper relationship of the strapping, the runners, and the assembled parts where successive assemblies or packages are packaged differently. Thus, packages or units which are to be handled by grabs are usually provided with runners or skids which extend lengthwise of the package, while packages which are to be handled by fork-lift trucks are provided with skids or runners extending transversely or crosswise of the package. Thus, orientation of the parts may vary from one unit packaging operation to the next, which variation has heretofore necessitated the second handling operation aforementioned.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a device which positions and supports thereon an assembly or stack of sheets or other items and one or more skids or runners in operative relation to the assembly, which also accommodates convenient feeding and positioning of a strap beneath the skid, and hence around the assembly.

A further object is to provide a device of this character which is of channel shape in cross-section to support an assembly of parts when positioned with its legs extending upwardly, while accommodating positioning of a skid or runner therein below the assembly, which also has a strap-receiving groove in the portion thereof below the runner.

A further object is to provide a device of this character consisting of a channel having interruptions in the side walls thereof to receive skids or runners below an assembly of items supported thereon, which interruptions include strap-receiving grooves.

A further object is to provide a device of this character having surfaces at three different levels for support respectively of an assembly of parts, a skid and a strap.

3,41 1,434 Patented Nov. 19, 1968 Other objects will be apparent from the folowing specification:

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a unit package mounted upon our new supports upon which the package components have been assembled and strapped.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating the assembly of a package and the manner in which our new support is used in the packaging operation.

FIG. 3 is a bottom plan view of a strapped package illustrating the manner in which the package is assembled for handling thereof by a fork-lift truck.

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view illustrating the manner in which a strapped package is assembled for handling by a grab device.

FIG. 5 is a view in side elevation of one form-.of our new support.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view illustrating a modified construction of our new support.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 5, and illustrating runners and strapping transversely positioned relative to the support.

FIG. 8 is a vertical transverse sectional view illustrating another modification of the invention, and the use of supports to carry a runner extending lengthwise thereof.

Referring to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1, 5, and 7 thereof, our new support 10 constitutes a channel member preferably formed of metal and being of a length greater than or substantially equal to the length of a unit load, and of a height greater than the vertical dimension of a skid or runner which is to form a part of the unit load. The channel 10 is preferably formed of a light-weight metal, such as an aluminum or magnesium alloy, although it may be formed of any other material found suitable, such as steel, synthetic resin reinforced with fiberglass, hard rubber or wood. The channel has a base 12 and a pair of side walls 14, and preferably it is enlarged or widened at 16 at the upper or free edges or margins of the side walls 14. The channel 10 is rigid and is capable of sustaining a heavy weight while resting upon its base 12 with the weight of the load sustained by the side walls 14 at the enlarged wall margins 16 thereof. The side walls 14 may be of tapered thickness, being of maximum thickness adjacent the base if desired. The top surfaces ofthe enlarged wall margin parts 16 will preferably be flat and coplanar. The upper or inner faceof the base 12 is interrupted by a longitudinal groove or channel 18 which is of a depth greater than the thickness of strapping metal and of a width greater than the width of such strapping metal. The groove 18 extends full length of the base 12 and is preferably positioned centrally thereof.

Variations in the cross-sectional shape of the channel may be made if desired. One alternative construction is illustrated in FIG. 8, wherein the channel base 20 is of a width greater than the spacing between the channel side walls 22 so as to provide lateral projections 24 extending lengthwise of the channel at the junctions of the base and the side walls and outwardly of the side walls. At their upper free margins the side walls 22 are enlarged at 26 by parts of substantially triangular cross-sectional configuration which have fiat upper surfaces positioned in coplanar relation and parallel to the bottom surface of the base 20, said triangular enlargements projecting outwardly from the side walls 22 so that the inner faces of the side walls 22 are plane and substantially parallel. A pair of longitudinal ribs 28 project from the upper surface of the base 20 in spaced relation to provide a central groove 30 of a width and thickness greater than the width and thickness of a strap.

In each embodiment, the side walls are provided with a plurality of transversely aligned sets of grooves or cutouts spaced along the length thereof. Each groove 32 extends from the upper edge of a side wall for a part only of the depth of the side wall. A central notch 34 interrupts the bottom edge of the groove 32 and is of a width and depth greater than the width and thickness of metal strapping and is positioned spaced above the base of the support, and above the level of the upper surfaces of ribs 28. The side wall grooves are adapted to receive runners extending transversely of the support.

At its opposite ends each support is preferably bevelled at its base 36, as seen in FIG. 5. Also, if desired, theopposite ends of each support may be configured to inter fit. Thus, as shown in FIG. 6, one end of each support may be defined by angularly extending edges to outline a V-shape projection while the opposite end may have similarly angled faces defining a V-shaped recess at 40.

FIG. 2 illustrates one manner in which the supports are used for the purpose of assembling packages of stacked sheet material. Thus, a coil 44 of the sheet material may be mounted upon a support 46 to rotate on an arbor 48 adjacent to the end of a roller conveyor 50. Sheet material fed from the coil onto the conveyor 50 is advanced by the conveyor to a station at which shear means 52 are located, which means serve to cut the sheet into sheet units 54 of selected size, which are discharged onto a second roller conveyor 56, preferably at a lower level than the conveyor 50. A third conveyor 58 at a lower level than the second conveyor 56 is adapted to mount two or more of the supports 10 at the end thereof adjacent the delivery end of the conveyor 56, with the upper surfaces of the side walls thereof below the level of the second conveyor. The supports 10 are positioned upon the third conveyor 58 side by side so that sheets 54 discharged from the second conveyor 56 will come to rest upon the supports 10 and will be stacked thereon at 60 until the requisite number of sheets to complete the desired unit load has been so stacked. The load and said supports are then moved on the third conveyor 58 to a remote position 62 at which the strapping operation is performed to fixedly connect the parts of the unit load.

The performance of the packaging operation entails the mounting of skids or runners 64 in selected orientation to the parts 54 mounted upon the supports 10. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the skids or runners 64 extend transversely of the stack 66. This is accommodated by passing the skids 64 transversely through selected cut-outs 32 of the members 10, as illustrated in FIG. 7. This can be done before or after parts 54 are mounted on member 10, as accommodated by the fact that the cut-outs 32 are of a depth greater than the vertical dimension of the skid 64. The metal strapping 68 is fed under the skids 64 lengthwise thereof either before or after the skids are applied to parts 10 by passing the strapping through the notches 34 which accommodate it with clearance. The strapping is passed around the assembled parts of the load, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, and is drawn taut and clinched at 70 by conventional metal strapping tools as well understood in the art, so that skids 64 are raised into engagement with the bottom of the stack 60 to hold the parts 54 and the skids 64 firmly in place. Thereupon the package unit can be removed from the supports 10 by lifting it to disengage the skids from. the supports notches 32. Thereafter, the unit can be handled, as by means of a fork-lift truck, in the manner illustrated in FIG. 3.

In the event a package unit is to be assembled as illustrated in FIG. 4, the skids 64 are positioned lengthwise in the supports 10 with their upper edges spaced below the top edges of the side walls of the support. Strapping material 68 is positioned in a groove 18 or 30, as by passing it under the longitudinal skid. The ends of the straps are drawn together and tightened as previously described to raise and secure the skids in firm contact with the bottom face of the lowest part or parts in the package, whereupon the strap ends are anchored together to complete the package so as to permit its removal from the support and handling thereof as a unit.

The formation of the bevelled ends at 36 as shown in FIG. 5 accommodates sliding or other movement of the supports 10 upon a support or a roller conveyor with minimum resistance. The formation of the support members with a projection 3-8 at one end and a notch 40 at the opposite end as shown in FIG. 6 accommodates alignment of support members when positioned in contact end to end during usage.

In all uses of the device, the rails or supports 10 provide means for supporting a stack of parts during a stacking or assembling operation and during movement of the parts after assembly and before the stack or assembly is intergrated or secured by the strapping operation. The operation of positioning the skids and of applying the strapping in proper relation to the skids and the stacked parts is rendered simple and rapid with assurance of accurate correlation of the constituent parts of the unit package. Thus, this device enables the performance of package unit strapping rapidly and at minimum labor cost. The device also insures that minimum danger to workmen will exist during the strapping operation, inasmuch as the strapping rails support the work in such a manner as to permit installation and manipulation of skids in any selected position before or after the work is mounted on the rails or supports and to permit manipulation of strapping in proper correlation to the other parts of the package before or after the skids are mounted, without in any way disturbing the package parts or material if it has been assembled before the strapping is positioned. Likewise, the package unit may be strapped both lengthwise and crosswise of the skids, with strapping crosswise of the skids interposed between the skid and the package parts, if desired, by applying and tightening the crosswise straps while the skids rest in the support spaced below the package parts as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, and before they are drawn upwardly against the package parts by application and tightening of straps lengthwise thereof.

While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be understood that changes in the construction may be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A strapping rail for use in groups in assembling a unit package of multiple items supported upon spaced skids and bound by straps passing around said items and lengthwise of and below said skids, comprising a rigid channel having a base and side walls,

said side walls being spaced greater than the width of a skid and having a depth greater than the vertical transverse dimension of a skid, and means at the upper surface of said base spaced from and between said side walls and defining a longitudinal groove of greater width and depth than a strap,

whereby a skid can be inserted under items supported upon the upper edges of said side walls and a strap can be inserted through said groove below and lengthwise of said skid and then passed around said supported items and tightened to produce a package removable from said support and adapted to be handled as a unit.

2. A strapping rail as defined in claim 1, wherein said last named means constitute spaced parallel longitudinal ribs projecting from the upper inner face of said base.

3. A strapping rail as defined in claim 1, wherein said side walls are interrupted by longitudinally spaced cut-outs open at the upper edges thereof and of depth and width greater than the transverse dimensions of a skid and each having a notch in itsbottom surface of depth and width greater than the transverse dimensions of a strap,

each cut-out being transversely aligned with a cut-out in the other side wall to receive a transverse skid and strap.

4. A strapping rail as defined in claim 1, wherein said side walls have upper marginal portions of greater width than the thickness of said walls with coplanar load supporting surfaces parallel to said base.

5. A strapping rail as defined in claim 1, wherein the opposite ends of said base have bevelled bottom surface portions.

6. A strapping rail as defined in claim 1, wherein one end of said base has a longitudinal projection and the opposite end has a recess of substantially the same configuration as said projection whereby the projections and recesses of aligned rails may interfit.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,119,956 6/1938 McDonnell 100-2 XR 2,677,323 5/1954 OKonski l0O--3 2,838,992 6/ 1958 Dernler.

2,870,981 1/1959 Dellinger et a1. 108-52 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,245,523 10/1960 France.

BILLY J. WILI-IITE, Primary Examiner. 

